The face of the carpet and area rug fiber market has changed rather dramatically in the past five years, although it's been something of a quiet revolution. Driven by soft demand combined with increased raw materials costs, carpet producers have shifted their allegiance almost completely away from staple fibers as a way to cut costs. They have also increasingly turned toward polyester as the fiber of choice for the value-oriented products strapped consumers have been demanding.

The result is a fiber business that looks quite different today. Nylon is still the dominant residential carpet fiber, but nylon staple has declined drastically as a percent of the market. Polyester filament has become the number two player in the game, supplanting polypropylene. And there's a new fiber in town. Mohawk's Smartstrand with DuPont Sorona belongs to a class of polymers called polytrimethyelene terephthalate (PTT), which is related to the polyester family.

DuPont and Mohawk petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to recognize these fibers as a separate class known as Triexta, which happened in 2009.

Some things haven't changed. Synthetic fibers — nylon, acrylic, polypropylene, polyester and, most recently, Mohawk's PTT/ Triexta — have long dominated the residential carpet market. There are natural fibers used in broadloom manufacturing, but wool accounts for only about two percent of residential carpet made in the U.S., while fibers such as sisal and other grasses hold even less of a share.

While statistics for 2010 fiber shipments are not yet available, a combination of fashion, finance and technology are fueling the growth of polyester as face fiber in the residential carpet market.

Petrochemical prices are again on the rise. "Raw material costs are much more volatile (now) than they have been historically. Increases are driven by supply and demand of basic chemicals and demand in Asia,bCrLf explained Ris Cowan, senior manager, national marketing for Invista Stainmaster. "But, while all raw materials have increased, polyester is the lowest cost alternative.bCrLf

Polyester is even supplanting polypropylene, long the low cost fiber choice, which is still significant, but trending down, according to David Duncan, Mohawk Industries' vice president of marketing. "Polyester is growing,bCrLf Duncan noted. "Nylon, both branded and generic, is still the dominant fiber, but, as a petroleum product along with polypropylene, it is under a lot of cost pressure. The recycled content of most PET carpet fiber helps stabilize the cost, but there are other costs that are rising aside from raw materials.bCrLf

Most industry sources expect to see polyester continue to grow at the expense of nylon, the premium synthetic fiber, and polypropylene. And, on the retail floor, "As the delta between polyester and nylon costs expands, polyester has become the value choice for consumers,bCrLf noted Jeff Meadows, Beaulieu's chief marketing officer.

In fashion terms, consumer preference for softer styles has resulted in a proliferation of soft-to-the-touch styles in all fibers.

There has also been a trend away from staple fiber to BCF (bulk continuous filament), because fiber technology now allows fiber manufacturers to engineer BCF in ways that mimic staple yarn constructions. Technology too has improved polyester, making it a better choice for performance, according to manufacturers.

Polyester increases shareMohawk Industries is so certain that it has solved the performance issues of polyester's past that it recently introduced Wear-Dated Revive, a polyester program that is a cut above, according to Duncan.

"The new Wear-Dated Revive brand represents a performance certified PET,bCrLf said Duncan. "We looked at the ideal construction and weight of Wear-Dated Revive products and put them through a testing lab to assure performance.bCrLf

Wear-Dated Revive PET has been scoured to remove the lubricant that is used in PET BCF fiber manufacturing, Duncan explained. This extra process cleanses the fiber resulting in improved strength and durability, improved soil protection, improved softness and fiber body and locks-in the Scotchgard Protector, according to Mohawk.

"The Wear-Dated brand — one of the top five fiber brands in flooring — gives retailers a way to bring great products at real values to consumers in this growing category segment,bCrLf stressed Duncan.

And, said Duncan, Wear-Dated Revive contains recycled content, the percent of which varies from style to style. Beaulieu worked on Bliss HealthyTouch for much of 2010 and introduced it at Surfaces 2011. "This new collection promises to make sense when buying soft' because Beaulieu has loaded it with a variety of sensible features,bCrLf said Beaulieu's Meadows.

"HealthyTouch is made with Beaulieu's SoftSense BCF polyester fiber — the product of a special Beaulieu extrusion process that produces softer carpet fibers — making it by far our softest carpet ever,bCrLf Meadows said. "In addition, HealthyTouch also features Fresh odor reducer, Silver Release antimicrobial, 3M Scotchgard, a lifetime Stain "No ExclusionsbCrLf warranty and a "You'll love it or we'll take it backbCrLf guarantee.

Shaw launched its ClearTouch line made of a 100 percent solution dyed PET BCF with 25 percent recycled content fiber in 2010. ClearTouch styles include traditional air entangled berber looks, solid color loops and tonal constructions, according to Fallon. "The introductions will also continue as we expand our PET BCF offering in 2011,bCrLf he said.

Mohawk's SmartStrand"There's no stopping Mohawk's Smart-Strand and SmartStrand with Dupont Sorona,bCrLf stressed Duncan. "We are winning the hearts and minds of retailers with these PTT/Triexta fiber brands.bCrLf

Mohawk, working with Brandware Research, contacted nearly 5,000 consumers, who had recently purchased carpet of nylon, polyester or Triexta. More than 90 percent of the consumers were the most satisfied with Mohawk's SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona among the types of carpet. They also said they would buy Mohawk's SmartStrand again and that they would recommend it to friends and relatives.

Wool: the luxury fiberHistorically, wool was the first fiber to be made into carpets and rugs and has been setting the standard ever since. A luxury choice, wool is the cost premium fiber, but the price difference between wool and high end, branded nylon products has shrunk somewhat and its "greenbCrLf features are making wool attractive to the pro-environmental consumer.

Wools of New Zealand recently created Wool: Clean Air Certified, an Indoor Environmental Quality program that attests to the products' very low VOC emissions as well as its ability to actually improve air quality.
"I see wool growing in importance as the concern for environmentally sustainable products increases,bCrLf said Elise Demboski, executive director, North America, Wools of New Zealand. "I also see health concerns playing a bigger role when it comes to fiber choice. Wool ticks a number of important health benefit boxes (improved indoor air quality, fire resistance) that increase its desirability by those who want to improve their indoor environments.bCrLf

Branded nylon offers strength and softnessStill, the most recognized brand in residential carpet, Stainmaster carpet made with Luxerell, its softest fiber family, continues to be a major growth area for Invista, according to Invista Stainmaster's Cowan.

John Fallon, Shaw Industries residential product operations manager, pointed out that Shaw provides a family of soft nylon products under its Anso and EverTouch brands. Anso launched a colorwall in 2010 made of the softest Anso Caress, according to Fallon. "And Shaw is also using soft Anso nylon in value constructions in its aAffordable Luxury collection.bCrLf

Mohawk now owns the Wear-Dated brand, originally established for nylon, but now expanded to include Wear-Dated Revive, a polyester line.